However, it appeared that she had ideas of her own, if not about brothers and cousins, at least about dancing partners. We were standing at a window when Edwin Laidlaw, the publisher, came up and bowed to her and spoke.
Will you dance with me, Miss Usher?
No, she said.
I would be honoured.
No.
Naturally I wondered why. He had only a couple of inches on her in height, and perhaps she liked them tallerme, for instance. Or perhaps it was because he hadnt combed his hair, or if he had it didnt look it. If it was more personal, if he had said something that offended her, it hadnt been at the table, since they hadnt been close enough, but of course it could have been before or after. Laidlaw turned and went, and as the band opened up I was opening my mouth to suggest that we try an encore, when Cecil Grantham came and got her. He was about my height and every hair on his head was in place, so that could have been it. I went and got Ethel Varr and said nothing whatever about her face changing. As we danced I tried not to keep twisting my head around, but I had to maintain surveillance on Faith Usher and her bag, which was still on the chair.
When something awful did happen I hadnt the slightest idea that it was coming. I like to think that I can count on myself for hunches, and often I can, but not that time, and what makes it worse is that I was keeping an eye on Faith Usher as I stood talking with Ethel Varr. If she was about to die, and if I am any damn good at hunches, I might at least have felt myself breathing a little faster, but not even that. I saw her escorted to a chair by Cecil Grantham, fifteen feet away from the chair the bag was on, and saw her sit, and saw him go and return in a couple of minutes with champagne and hand her hers, and saw him raise his glass and say something. I had been keeping her in the corner of my eye, not to be rude to Ethel Varr, but at that point I had both eyes straight at Faith Usher. Not that I am claiming a hunch; it was simply that Rose Tuttles idea of poison in champagne was fresh in my mind and I was reacting to it. So I had both eyes on Faith Usher when she took a gulp and went stiff, and shook all over, and jerked halfway to her feet, and made a noise that was part scream and part moan, and went down. Going down, she teetered on the edge of the chair for a second and then would have been on the floor if Cecil hadnt grabbed her.
When I got there he was trying to hold her up. I said to let her down, took her shoulders, and called out to get a doctor. As I eased her to the floor she went into convulsion, her head jerking and her legs thrashing, and when Cecil tried to catch her ankles I told him that was no good and asked if someone was getting a doctor, and someone behind me said yes. I was on my knees, trying to keep her from banging her head on the floor, but managed a glance up and around, and saw that Robilotti and Kent and the band leader were keeping the crowd back. Pretty soon the convulsions eased up, and then stopped. She had been breathing fast in heavy gasps, and when they slowed down and weakened, and I felt her neck getting stiff, I knew the paralysis was starting, and no doctor would make it in time to help.
Cecil was yapping at me, and there were other voices, and I lifted my head to snap, Will everybody please shut up? Theres nothing I can do or anyone else. I saw Rose Turtle. Rose, go and guard that bag. Dont touch it. Stick there and dont take your eyes off it. Rose moved.
Mrs Robilotti took a step towards me and spoke. You are in my house, Mr Goodwin. These people are my guests. Whats the matter with her?
Having smelled the breath of her gasps, I could have been specific, but that could wait until she was dead, not long, so I skipped it and asked, Whos getting a doctor?
Celias phoning, someone said.
Staying on my knees, I turned back to her. A glance at my wristwatch showed me five past eleven . She had been on the floor six minutes. There was foam on her mouth, her eyes were glassy, and her neck was rigid. I stayed put for two minutes, looking at her, ignoring the audience participation, then reached for her hand and pressed hard on the nail of the middle finger. When I removed my fingers the nail stayed white; in thirty seconds there was no sign of returning pink.
I stood up and addressed Robilotti. Do I phone the police or do you?
The police? He had trouble getting it out.
Yes. Shes dead. Id rather stick here, but you must phone at once.
No, Mrs Robilotti said. We have sent for a doctor. I give the orders here. Ill phone the police myself when I decide it is necessary.
I was sore. Of course that was bad; its always a mistake to get sore in a tough situation, especially at yourself; but I couldnt help it. Not more than half an hour ago I had told Rose to leave it to me, I would see that nothing awful happened, and look. I glanced around. Not a single face, male or female, looked promising. The husband and the son, the two guests of honour, the butler, the three chevaliersnone of them was going to walk over Mrs Robilotti. Celia wasnt there. Rose was guarding the bag. Then I saw the band leader, a guy with broad shoulders and a square jaw, standing at the entrance to the alcove with his back to it, surveying the tableau calmly, and called to him.
My names Goodwin. Whats yours?
Johnson.
Do you want to stay here all night, Mr Johnson?
No.
Neither do I. I think this woman was murdered, and if the police do too you know what that means, so the sooner they get here the better. Im a licensed private detective and I ought to stay with the body. Theres a phone on a stand in the reception hall. The number is Spring seven-three-one-hundred.
Right. He headed for the arch. When Mrs Robilotti commanded him to halt and moved to head him off he just side-stepped her and went on, not bothering to argue, and she called to her men, Robbie! Cecil! Stop him!
When they failed to react she wheeled to me. "Leave my house!
I would love to, I told her. If I did, the cops would soon bring me back. Nobody is going to leave your house for a while.
Robilotti was there, taking her arm. Its no use, Louise. Its horrible, but its no use. Come and sit down. He looked at me. Why do you think she was murdered? Why do you say that?
Paul Schuster, the promising young lawyer, spoke up. I was going to ask that, Goodwin. She had a bottle of poison in her bag.
How do you know she did?
One of the guests told me. Miss Varr.
One of them told me too. Thats why I asked Miss Turtle to guard the bag. I still think she was murdered, but Ill save my reason for the police. You people might
Celia Grantham came running in, calling, How is she? and came on, stopping beside me, looking down at Faith Usher. My God, she said, whispered, and seized my arm and demanded, Why dont you do something? She looked down again, her mouth hanging open, and I put my hands on her shoulders and turned her around. Thanks, she said. My God, she was so pretty. Is she dead?
Yes. Did you get a doctor?
Yes, hes coming. I couldnt get ours. I gotWhat good is a doctor if shes dead?
Nobody is dead until a doctor says so. Its a law. Some of the others were jabbering, and I turned and raised my voice. You
people might as well rest your legs and there are plenty of chairs, but stay away from the one the bag is on. If you want to leave the room I cant stop you, but I advise you not to. The police might misunderstand it, and youd only have more questions to answer. A buzzer sounded and Hackett was going, but I stopped him. No, Hackett, youd better stay, youre one of us now. Mr Johnson will let them in.
He was doing so. There was no sound of the door opening because doors on mansions do not make noises3 but there were voices in the reception hall, and everybody turned to face the arch. In they came, a pair, two precinct men in uniform. They marched in and stopped, and one of them asked, Mr Robert Robilotti?